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ogy/16384169.htm>

  Cingular Wireless is raising the text messaging rate for customers
  without a monthly texting plan to 15 cents per message sent or
  received, an increase of 5 cents.

  The increase comes two months after an identical move by Sprint
  Nextel Corp., which also raised the rate for pay-as-you-go texting
  from 10 cents to 15 cents per message.

  Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA each charge 10 cents per message
  sent or received without a texting plan.

  The change in Cingular's pricing takes effect on Jan. 21. Cingular, a
  unit of AT&T Inc., has said that more than half of its customers who
  send or receive a message at least once a month do so on a
  pay-per-use basis. The company doesn't disclose how many of its
  nearly 60 million subscribers use text messaging every month.

  Both Cingular and Sprint have left the prices for their subscription
  texting plans unchanged, a sign that both companies may be hoping
  more customers will opt for the additional monthly fee.

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